OK, I was wrong. Or not. We'll see how long it takes billionaires and millionaires to cut up the pie and get to 50/50 soon enough. You all know where I stand on that. I still think they get it done well before the Winter Classic SponsorRama. Let's just say that I'm feeling more like Tony Montana than I was a while ago. (Note : Video is definitely NSFW, but it sure is a classic )

But until then, to hell with them. They are dead to me. ( yeah right, the NHL knows they have Canadians, no matter how we'll grouse about it when they get back! ) There is still pul-enty of hockey played in the Vancouver area. The Heat might become our team one day, there is the BCJHL, and of course Vancouver is a hockey hotbed no matter what is said elsewhere.

One only needs to look at NHL rosters to see the influence of the "other" team in Vancity. Like the newly signed Evander Kane, Milan Lucic, defensemen galore from Cody Franson to Jonathan Blum, and many others through the years, ( including the Canucks own Kevin Connauton, the Giants' all time defenseman scoring leader ) Vancouver hockey fans have long viewed the Vancouver Giants as a sort of guilty pleasure. The games are always swift and at times captivating hockey, with plenty of hitting. What's not to love? Its the top level of junior in Canada, and the 2007 Memorial Cup winners know a few things about winning.

So, lets take a look at what we have to look forward to with the next generation of players while the other kids sort out their big piles of money. Maybe they can have Mitt Romney arbitrate once he is done with his Nov. 6th non balloon drop.

Of course there are more than the next generation of stars in the CHL, of which the Giants' WHL is a part. The Memorial Cup is captivating and exciting hockey no matter who is in the tourney. That league, the WHL, even has a type of player that has sent hundreds of NHLers on to fame and fortune over the years. New lifetime contract awardee Shea Weber being just the latest.

So, who have we got, and do the Giants have a chance this year? Well, we can explore the lineup together as they start playing Friday ( smartly with a lockout discount promotion for the first three games. Fifteen bucks! ) , and while its way too premature on the latter, usually when teams in the CHL are "going for it" this year, they make trades like the Giants did recently. (that story also notes that there are 29 players on the team. As you can see...I went with the 27 that the team put on the website ) Lets take a look at what we have here...

FORWARDS
No.	Player	Pos.	Shoots	Ht	Wt	DOB	Hometown	2012 WHL Preseason
7	Matt Bellerive	RW	R	5'11	188	Dec. 7, 1994	North Vancouver, BC	Vancouver Giants
9	Dalton Sward	C	R	6'1	182	Jan. 10, 1994	Abbotsford, B.C	Vancouver Giants
10	Scott Cooke	RW	R	6'2	175	Mar. 15, 1994	Surrey, BC	Vancouver Giants
12	Cain Franson	C	L	6'1	167	Mar. 25, 1993	Sicamous, BC	Vancouver Giants
14	Taylor Makin	LW	L	6'0	185	Jan. 26, 1992	Blairmore, AB	Vancouver Giants
15	Riley Kieser	C	L	6'0	182	Apr. 27, 1993	Sherwood Park, AB	Vancouver Giants
16	Carter Popoff	C	R	5'9	180	May. 9, 1995	Richmond, BC	Vancouver Giants
17	Marek Tvrdon	LW	L	6'2	217	Jan. 31, 1993	Nitra, Slovakia	Vancouver Giants
18	Anthony Ast	C	R	5'8	170	Feb. 11, 1995	Richmond, BC	Vancouver Giants
19	Nathan Burns	LW	L	6'2	175	Jul. 15, 1993	Edmonton, AB	Vancouver Giants
20	Tanner Moar	RW	R	6'3	180	Jul. 12, 1994	Canwood, SK	Kelowna Rockets
22	Ales Kilnar	LW	L	6'0	185	Oct. 5, 1993	Ostrava, Czech Republic	Vancouver Giants
24	Austin Vetterl	C	R	5'11	171	Feb. 2, 1994	Surrey, BC	Vancouver Giants
25	Tristan Sieben	LW	L	5'9	187	Jul. 13, 1994	Edmonton, AB	Vancouver Giants
26	Taylor Vickerman	LW	L	6'1	181	Apr. 12, 1996	Kennewick, WA, USA	Vancouver Giants
27	Jackson Houck	RW	R	6'0	184	Feb. 27, 1995	North Vancouver, BC	Vancouver Giants
39	Thomas Foster	C	L	5'10	160	Mar. 28, 1996	Slave Lake, AB	Vancouver Giants

DEFENCEMEN
No.	Player	Pos.	Shoots	Ht	Wt	DOB	Hometown	2012 WHL Preseason
2	Brett Kulak	D	L	6'1	175	Jan. 6, 1994	Stony Plain, AB	Vancouver Giants
4	Blake Orban	D	R	6'1	197	Jan. 28, 1994	Calgary, AB	Vancouver Giants
5	Wes Vannieuwenhuizen	D	L	6'3	208	Apr. 20, 1992	Chilliwack, B.C	Vancouver Giants
6	David Musil	D	L	6'4	203	Apr. 9, 1993	Delta, BC	Vancouver Giants
8	Tyler Morrison	D	L	5'11	183	Oct. 23, 1995	Sherwood Park, AB	Vancouver Giants
21	Stewart Coyle	D	R	6'2	185	Aug. 15, 1995	Sicamous, BC	Vancouver Giants
28	John Neibrandt	D	L	6'5	196	Oct. 9, 1992	Yorkton, SK	Vancouver Giants
29	Reid Zalitach	D	R	6'0	175	May. 1, 1996	Narol, MB	Vancouver Giants

GOALIES
No.	Player	Pos.	Catches	Ht	Wt	DOB	Hometown	2012 WHL Preseason
33	Liam Liston	G	L	6'2	195	Apr. 6, 1993	St. Albert, AB	Vancouver Giants
37	Tyler Fuhr	G	L	6'0	157	May. 30, 1995	Sherwood Park, AB	Vancouver Giants

I am sure you can do the clicking over here at the team site. I'll be honest here. I don't know a lot about the team yet. YET. I am a fan, and have followed them closely, but not with the mania NHL fans follow the team for which this site is named. You only have so many hours in the day!

However, I am liking what I see from the get go. Look at all those B.C kids! There are 11 players from British Columbia, including North Van's Matt Bellerive, Abbotsford's newly acquired Dalton Sward, Surrey's Austin Vetteri and Scott Cooke, Cody's brother Cain Franson from Sicamous,( and another from the 'Mous,defenseman Stewart Colyle ) as well as Delta's own highly regarded Oiler defensive prospect David Musil. There's fun to say Carter Popoff from Richmond, and Wes Vannieuwhenhuizen ( I'd love to know what the hardcore Giant fans have nicknamed him, but apart from Alphabet, I got nothing right now... )

There is a goalie named Fuhr ( Tyler, who is not related to Grant ), part of an all Albertan goaltending tandem. They are 2 of the 9 Wild Rose born, and of the 27 man roster, the final 7 are from both Czech and Slovak Republics, Washington State and four from the rest of the Canadian Prairies. Thats 20 guys from Western Canada, and we can almost claim Kenniewick Washington when it comes to "local" as well. At least until Seattle gets their digs built.

That is a pretty local lineup, if I do say so myself. I am looking forward to getting to know them as much as you just might be if the kids don't start talking.

It starts Friday. Crown the Royals!